E-cigarette vapor not annoying to most Americans, national study finds

PASADENA >> More cities have begun to regulate electronic cigarettes in the same manner as traditional cigarettes even though a recent national survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they don’t mind being near e-cig vapor.

“The fact is e-cigarettes don’t possess any of the negative attributes commonly associated with traditional tobacco,” said John Wiesehan Jr., CEO of Mistic, in a statement. “There is no smoke, only vapor, and they don’t smell, they don’t invade clothes or leave ash or stubs.”

In a unanimous decision earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban the use of e-cigarettes — a battery-operated device that turns liquid into vapor — from restaurants, bars, nightclubs and other public spaces such as beaches and parks. In February the Manhattan Beach City Council unanimously voted to develop a smoking and vaping ban that covers all outdoor public areas as well as outdoor dining at private businesses. And in October, Alhambra said people who vape could face fines if they use them in city-owned or -operated public buildings and parks.

As cities begin to place stringent rules on e-cigs, public opinion on the trend leans on the positive, according to Harris Interactive. A national survey found that 58 percent of respondents approved allowing e-cigs to be used at sporting events; 47 percent said it was OK to vape in malls and 45 percent said vaping at restaurants and bars should be allowed.

Many e-cig proponents say the popular product helps people because it’s a smoking cessation tool that is, they say, 99 percent less hazardous than smoking.

Julie Woessner, spokeswoman for the nonprofit Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association, said she smoked for 30 years and unsuccessfully tried to quit nearly a dozen times before she found e-cigs.

“It’s really unfortunate that all these cities are rushing to regulate what can only be called a public health miracle,” said Woessner, from Indiana. “Especially for the relatively new vapors or the people who are transitioning (from smoking to vaping), it’s just not a good idea to force them to use their devices only where smokers are.”

About 2.5 million people use e-cigs in the U.S., and the vaporizer market was valued at $1.7 billion in 2013, according to Mistic.

Dr. Jonathan Samet, director of the USC Institute for Global Health, is on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. He said the juices used in e-cigs are not regulated in any way. So some have levels of tobacco smoke carcinogens and other contaminants.

“Allowing these devices to be used anywhere — in part with some of the advertising that goes on — would, in a sense, normalize nicotine addiction and perhaps even smoking,” Samet said. “One of the ways we’ve made so much progress is that it’s not acceptable to smoke in public places.”

Samet said there are very few studies about the dangers of e-cigs. In the last two years, he said, e-cigs have become omnipresent. The scientific community is trying to catch up, he said.

“There have been two reasons to handle e-cigs the same as combustible products,” Samet said. “People would be exposed to the nicotine in the air, so the vapor could settle on people. It could contaminate the air that they breathe. It could contaminate a chair, and they could touch it and nicotine can go through the skin.”

Unlike nicotine patches or gum, Samet said e-cigs can’t be marketed to promote cessation because the FDA has not approved that therapeutic claim.

Woessner, however, said she went from smoking nearly three packs a day to not smoking at all after three days of vaping.

“My health improved markedly,” she said. “I had a horrible smoker’s cough. I couldn’t take deep breaths without coughing or pain. It was also difficult for the family. I would be with my family and then I would have to absent myself.”